Jia Sidao

Who was Jia Sidao?

Jia Sidao was a chancellor during the late Song Dynasty of China. He dominated the Song court from 1260 to 1273, after rising to the rank of chancellor due to his sister being a concubine of the Emperor Lizong. Known for his corruption and incompetence, he was most famous for his intervention in the Battle of Xiangyang, in which he hid the true situation from the Song court, and was responsible for its demise. In addition, Jia Sidao pioneered a policy of land nationalization, which was highly unpopular among the Confucians, who favored low taxes and a small role for the state. Later, at the Battle of Yihu, Jia Sidao's incompetence led to a defeat in which the remnants of the Song army were routed, leading to the Mongols advancing on the capital, Lin an. As a result of this defeat, he was demoted from the chancellor post and killed by Zheng Hucheng in revenge.

The land survey, endorses by several more officials, was undertaken ca. 1262. It was dictated by the pressing military needs and rampant monopolization by the powerful clans. In 1263, the "public field" gongtian were reintroduced, to function for the following 12 years.

Jia Sidao's land reform activity was exaggeratedly compared to that of Wang Mang, since, differently from the latter, the state monopolized only 1/3 of the excess land holdings, provided some minimal compensation, and alleviated the Harmonious Grain levy.